Page 28 of Not A Whisper

I jump at the sound of a male voice behind me. Straightening, I look over my shoulder and find a guy standing there. Tall, tan, blond, and blue eyed, he’s cute in a boyish way, despite probably being slightly older than me. The dirty jeans and worn-out long sleeve shirt tells me he’s probably a farmer or a handler rather than a potential buyer.

“Excuse me?”

“That’s what baby goats are called, kids. I’ve been watching you eyeing Ernie there pretty hard, and I know that gleam in a woman’s eye. You see something you want, don’t you?” He flashes me a smile as he comes to stand beside me.

I raise a brow. “Ernie?”

“Yeah, that’s what I call him.” He nudges his head toward the baby goat in the pin before us. “Dad hates when I name them, but how can I not? Especially when he looks like an Ernie.”

I chuckle as I turn to stare at the little goat. “I guess he does a little.”

“So, are you here in the market for some livestock? If so, I have to warn you, if you take Ernie, you have to take his sister, Ellie, who’s over there.” He nudges a thumb behind us. “They do better when there’s more than one.”

“Unless they’re suitable for apartment living, I don’t think a baby goat is in my near future.” I sigh wistfully. “Maybe one day I’ll have a big enough property.”

The guy laughs. “Actually, you’d be surprised how well goats acclimate to places like an apartment. They’re just like dogs. But unless you’re around all the time to keep an eye on them, you’ll end up with holes in your furniture. So if holes aren’t a design feature you like?—”

“—which they’re not.”

“—then you probably should hold off on a goat.”

We both grin at each other. Before I can say anything else, an arm wraps around my shoulders. I look up to find that Jason has found me. He smiles at my new friend then down at me.

“There you are. I’ve been calling you.”

“Sorry, I’ve been distracted by cute animals.”

The guy I’ve been talking to chuckles. “I think I may have talked her out of a baby goat.” He winks at me. “But you can come find me the minute things change, you hear? I’m sure I can help you out.”

Jason’s arm tightens slightly around my shoulders. “If my girl wants a kid, she knows who to come to.”

The tone of his voice shifts and the implication there is overtly clear. As I gasp and look up at him, I catch the tail end of his smirk. I open my mouth to admonish him, but he cuts me off by continuing,

“Have a good rest of your day.”

With that, Jason guides me away. I stumble over my feet as I try to push away my shock at his rude behavior. Jason is usually the friendliest one out of the three guys. I look over my shoulder and give the guy an apologetic look. He shoots me a wink and waves me off.

“What the hell was that?” I demand as we make our way through the aisles of stalls and the crowd.

“What was what?” The innocence in his voice doesn’t mix with the annoyance etched into his expression.

My eyes trail over his face curiously. His dark brows are furrowed and the tendons in his neck strain so hard they’re popping out. Even his mouth is pressed into a hard line.

“Jason, why were you so rude to him?”

He spares me a glance, “Rude? I thought I did pretty well given the fact he was flirting with you.”

My laughter is sharp and short-lived.

“Flirting?” I replay the conversation—looking for a sign that Jason may be right. “No he wasn’t, he was just being friendly.”

“Toofriendly,” Jason objects. His arm tightens around me. “I didn’t like how he was looking at you either.”

Honestly, I don’t know what to say to that. And while I’m a bit thrown off by his possessiveness, I can get it. I’d feel the same way if I saw a girl flirting with him. I wrap my arm around his waist and duck my head to hide my smile.

Changing gears, I ask, “Did you find that vet you were looking for?”

“Yeah, I found Dr. Hambre. We talked and exchanged information.” He nods at people who are going into the pole barn as we head out into the parking lot.

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